# Debate Newsweek's 2010 World Predictions **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 29, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942 "2009-12-29T19:25:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/21 "2009-12-30T03:58:30Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Or legally capping the lifespan. You can **do** that?! Hmmmm . . . [scans Florida’s q-tip-clotted highways pensively] 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/22 "2009-12-30T05:19:04Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > You can **do** that?! It’s secret Chinese authoritarian commie magicks. It doesn’t work on Americans. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/23 "2009-12-30T05:41:54Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I would define it as a state of affairs where the foreign troops can pull out, without risk that the Taliban or something like it will return to power. I don’t think that’s possible. There’s a lot of religious zealots in the world, and that particular part of the world doesn’t seem all that enthusiastic about keeping them from power. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/24 "2009-12-30T08:06:47Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Not so much a “hostility towards women” as a cultural bias that every family needs sons. And grandsons. Which you can’t have unless a woman is to be found somewhere. So . . . In China, devaluing women starts before birth and continues throughout life. China has the highest female suicide rate in the world, and is the only country where female suicides outweigh male suicides. It’s not a fun place to be a woman. Anyway, I don’t predict widespread immigration happening any time soon. China is still an extremely xenophobic society, and foreign women are generally not considered acceptable vessels for handing down the family name and honoring your thousands of years of ancestors. Indeed, every foreign woman I know who has dated a Chinese man (and few straight females stick around as long-term expats) has eventually found a Chinese fiancee in the picture, since in reality foreign women are just not acceptable marriage partners. While people with absolutely no choice have been resorting to kidnapped Burmese “brides”, I doubt this will ever catch on beyond the absolute poorest of the poor. There is too much pride and too big a racial superiority complex for marrying foreign women to become widespread any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/25 "2009-12-30T09:06:21Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > **8. A Pyrrhic Victory for the Tories.** The Conservatives fail to win a majority and are forced into coalition with the Liberal Democrats. This makes them " too weak to push through the painful measures needed to redress Britain’s ballooning debts." The economy “plunges back into deep recession.” > > :eek: WTF?! I can see the LibDems going into coalition with **Labor,** but with the Tories?! Isn’t that, like, against everything they stand for?! Maybe I’m just too clueless about UK politics. And what are these “painful measures needed,” anyway? Is _Newsweek_ betraying a bias here? Dunno. IMO, the Lib Dems will jump into bed with whoever agrees to share a bit of power with them, because they recognise they’re unlikely to get it any other way. I can’t remember a general election that wasn’t followed by an announcement from the Lib Dems that they look forward to working _with_ the elected party, no matter which one it was. Labour doesn’t look very likely to prevail in the next election, in part because of the recent and ongoing scandal over enormously decadent expense claims made by MPs. When Labour last took power, the Conservative party had fallen following a public moral outrage of similar scale (although that one was about hypocritical sexual deviancy as well as embezzlement). ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/26 "2009-12-30T15:54:48Z")
Cuba could swing even more extreme, like NoKo. Raul could be pushed out by hard-liners who see themselves as the true heirs to Castro’s legacy. Didn’t DeGaulle once say “Brazil is the country of the future, and always will be”? ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/27 "2009-12-30T16:45:25Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Cuba could swing even more extreme, like NoKo. Raul could be pushed out by hard-liners who see themselves as the true heirs to Castro’s legacy. What do you base this on? I don’t see Raul being threatened, but admittedly I don’t pay that much attention. Who is threatening Raul Castro’s rule? > [@](#): > > Didn’t DeGaulle once say “Brazil is the country of the future, and always will be”? LOL ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/28 "2009-12-30T17:03:35Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > :eek: WTF?! I can see the LibDems going into coalition with **Labor,** but with the Tories?! Isn’t that, like, against everything they stand for?! Maybe I’m just too clueless about UK politics. And what are these “painful measures needed,” anyway? Is _Newsweek_ betraying a bias here? Your mistake is in assuming the LibDems do, or indeed have ever, stood for anything (other than royally screwing up the electoral system to boost their chances of being elected). They’ll do anything and ally with anyone to get even a sniff of power. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/29 "2009-12-30T17:10:42Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I don’t think that’s possible. There’s a lot of religious zealots in the world, and that particular part of the world doesn’t seem all that enthusiastic about keeping them from power. That’s why I do believe to some extent in holding a people responsible for the actions of their rulers. Native tyrants & foreign invaders can hold power for a time through sheer brutality, but long-term domination is very difficult without popular cooperation. If the Taliban retakes control, it’s because most Afghan men there want them in control. Which is why I think we should arm the women. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/30 "2009-12-30T17:15:14Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Which is why I think we should arm the women. That, or give them copies of _Lysistrata_… ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/31 "2009-12-30T17:18:25Z")
^ Arm Afghan woman. Have you completely lost your sences? You want to make the place even worse. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/32 "2009-12-30T17:24:33Z")
> [@villa](#): > > Your mistake is in assuming the LibDems do, or indeed have ever, stood for anything (other than royally screwing up the electoral system to boost their chances of being elected). They’ll do anything and ally with anyone to get even a sniff of power. The Tories are already making overtures to the LibDems in anticipation of a hung Parliament next year. This upcoming election is going to be a real “hold your nose and choose” affair - everyone hates Gordon Brown but the Tories are…well, the Tories, and the LibDems continue to embody political fecklessness (with the exception of Vince Cable, whom everyone loves). > [@AK84](#): > > Arm Afghan woman. Have you completely lost your sences? You want to make the place even worse. Frankly, given what Afghan women have gone through it’s about time they got guns. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/33 "2009-12-30T17:29:44Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > The Tories are already making overtures to the LibDems in anticipation of a hung Parliament next year. Tsk. I dunno. Given the track record of British history, there is always the risk that a hung Parliament (or a Long Parliament) will evolve into a Rump Parliament. And then everything gets all messy. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/34 "2009-12-30T18:01:52Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [ > **5. A Backlash Against European Racism.** More unrest and rioting by the impoverished Muslim minority predicted. :dubious: Gee, you mean those Europeans want their homelands to remain _their_ homelands? Those horrible, horrible white people! ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/35 "2009-12-30T18:07:55Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > :dubious: Gee, you mean those Europeans want their homelands to remain _their_ homelands? Those horrible, horrible white people! :rolleyes: Oh, please. They are in no more danger of losing their homelands than we were when it was the Yellow Peril or the Irish who were going to overwhelm America. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/36 "2009-12-30T18:18:05Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Tsk. I dunno. Given the track record of British history, there is always the risk that a hung Parliament (or a Long Parliament) will evolve into a Rump Parliament. And then everything gets all messy. Especially if it’s a well hung Parliament, injecting its issues into every quorum. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/37 "2009-12-30T18:25:07Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > :rolleyes: Oh, please. They are in no more danger of losing their homelands than we were when it was the Yellow Peril or the Irish who were going to overwhelm America. Oh, please yourself. Anyone who believes the mass migrations fromthe Third World into Europe and North America taking place today are not creating serious dangers for Western nations is in a deep state of denial. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/38 "2009-12-30T18:36:13Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > Anyone who believes the mass migrations fromthe Third World into Europe and North America taking place today are not creating serious dangers for Western nations is in a deep state of denial. Ohhh nooo! The brown people are coming! _AHHHH!!!_ ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/39 "2009-12-30T18:39:26Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Ohhh nooo! The brown people are coming! _AHHHH!!!_ Not that so much as Muslim immigrants have sought to impose their own religious law in the places they’re going, and seem to have a real problem with freedom of expression. The Irish and the Chinese didn’t do that as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942/40 "2009-12-30T18:50:19Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Ohhh nooo! The brown people are coming! _AHHHH!!!_ Loutish mockery is all you’ve got? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debate-newsweeks-2010-world-predictions/522942.md?page=3)